How do you decide what to read next?

[Michelle]

I have a very hyper-organized way of deciding what's up next to read (or so I'm told), so I thought I'd see what other fellow book addicts do to decide what to read next.

I have a VERY extensive to-read shelf, which includes a ton of anthologies I have left over from college. I used to keep a list of the books in the order in which I acquired them, but that kind of went kaput about two years ago, so I alphabetized them all on my to-read shelf. The anthologies are at the end of the shelf.

I read them in alphabetical order, allowing only one book by the same author at a time (for example: I have three or four Hardy novels sitting on my shelf. I was only allowed to read Far From the Madding Crowd. Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge and Fiddler of the Reels had to go to the end of the shelf, waiting for the next pass-through).

I also read an anthology along with each novel, alternating a chapter (or section) of the novel with a selection from the anthology.

Wow, now that I write it all out, it sounds a whole lot more compulsive than I realized...

[Lori]

Michelle... all i have to say is .. wow.
Thats an interesting book OCD you have :)

I cannot allow myself to build up a huge To Read list, I get what I call Readers Anxiety. If i have more than two or three books sitting around waiting to be read, I start to rush through my current read just to be able to worry about which one to read next. Then once I decide and start the new, I wonder in the back of my mind if I should have picked another one from the pile instead of the one I currently chose, then I start to rush through that one as well, to finish so I can sit and worry about which one to read next....

Its a nasty vicious cycle and Ive noticed that when I only have two or three books waiting, I can sit and relax and enjoy the one I have. Dont ask me why, I cant explain it, I just do better that way....

A Little Weird? Perhaps.

[Michelle]

Did I mention that I don't rotate new purchases in until I finish everything else (well, at least that's my plan)?

I'm glad to see I'm not as crazy as most people who walk into my apartment and see my book collection think I am...

[Sally]

Oh my gosh, I am glad I am not the only book nut around. I love reading and I love books and talking about books and reading what other people have to say about books. And when I enter someone’s home, the first thing I look for are their books. It tells me so much about who lives there. And if there are no books in the house... well, that says a lot too. Anyone visiting me who is a reader heads straight to my bookshelves to see what’s new and what they can (hopefully) borrow.
I recently have a lot of unread books, because I forgot about them. I tend to start multiple books and it gets to be a problem especially when I discover a book I REALLY want to read. I try to have books I read only in certain places. Like, books I only read in bed, trip books, waiting in the car and at doctors. When there are too many, I have to determine to finish them up before any new ones can be started. Sigh.
This Saturday, I cleaned my bookshelves. It was a great day visiting with all my books! I managed to cull out about 50 books to make room for new ones. Fortunately my husband did not mind. It allowed him to spend all day working on his motorcycle!

[[deleted user]]

I think the way I next choose what I'm going to read depends on if I've recently visited a bookstore or gone to the library. I'm always very greedy at the library. I just went this week and splurged on 10 books...crazy and greedy I Know.
I think sometimes I also get in a particular genre kick where I'll want to read a bunch of that genre. For instance I read strickly Christian nonfiction for years. I finally got seriously OD on that topic and have strayed to the other side (GLBT genre). Books are definitely my addiction. I finally even started a blog with book reviews of what I've read... if you're interested in checking it out let me know.

[Doina]

I never really thought about what makes me pick up a certain book over another. I guess it all depends on my mood, how much time I have, where I am at that particular moment (home vs. somewhere else), what music I am listening to, etc. And when it comes to series, on most series I have to read the latest book that comes out either the day of release, or that week (I know, I know, very impatient). ;p

[Marts]

I think decicing what next to read usually depends on my mood, sometimes i'll feel an urge for adventure, or something spiritual, or maybe I have a particular dream and I get up wanting to read a certain novel. My choice can also be based on some real life experience, like I remember taking a trip in an open pirogue and then having the urge to read 20,000 leagues under the sea after, and after the trip we camped out on a small island, so you bet I added the Coral Island to my list.

[Alissa]

Mostly I decide depending on my mood. But mostly I read my newest book.

[Samantha]

I buy stacks of books at a time. Like I won't order from Amazon unless it's at least $100 of books. Or I go wander around a bookstore for a bunch of paperbacks. I also try not to read the same author or same genre right after each other. I usually read biography, fantasy/sci-fi, political, romance then mystery but not always. I try to have a couple months between trilogy books or authors so I can have a fresh outlook on each book but still recall what happened in the last series book or whatever. I have like 25 books sitting on my nightstand waiting on me to read. It sometimes gets to my OCD but I think my love of reading helps me go at the pace I need to go with the book I'm reading.

[pop]

It kind of depends on what's available at the time. I tend to read the same authors a lot, then try a new one each time I go to get books. Deciding on the new ones can be difficult. Covers and titles catch my eye first, then I flip to a random page, read a page or two, if that's good then I try another random page or two, staying in the first half of the book so I don't spoil it for myself later. I don't really look at the blurbs or the first few pages, those get worked on more than anything else, knowing that it's what most people choose a book by. I like to get a better feel for the author's style, if not content. I like easy reads, where I'm not having to look up words all the time. I write mine that way, I might toss in a unique word or two, but that's about it, of course, with my vocabulary I have to work at not being over the head of the bulk of the readers, nor insulting to the intelligence of others.

[Meirav]

Being the boarderline OCD case that I am (it's an excuse to being just downright anal ^_~) I have a very specific order to which book I'll be reading next and it goes as follows:

1. General history
2. Terry Pratchett
3. Holocaust
4. Fantasy fiction
5. Zoology and animal behavior
6. general fiction
7. Churchill' Second World War
8. Stefen King books

Currently I'm at this cicle's #4

[David]

I'll make a shameless personal pitch here for #5 on your list. My book, Chasing the Ghost Birds chronicles three cutting edge wildlife conservation projects:
1. Returning trumpeter swans to the Midwest after an absence of 120 years;
2. Efforts to save the last of Russia's Siberian cranes, including a historic round-the-world flight to deliver crane eggs from the US to Russia and an attmpt by a world hang-gliding champion to lead captive-raised "Sibe" chicks on a 5,ooo-mile migration; and
3. Saving whooping cranes from extinction, from 1940 when on 15 remained, through the current ultralight-led migrations from WI to FL.
One reviewer called it "part environmental essay and part adventure tale. Kirkus said nice things about. Check it out at www.chasingtheGhostBirds.com
--David

[pop]

Sorry, Dave to Dave, your book is not something I would ever read. You probably feel the same way about mine. I just have no interest in that kind of thing.